Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is prodding his agency to relax regulations on high-speed Internet service offerings in the United States. Martin has circulated a proposal which treats DSL as an information service. This change in designation would exempt DSL from most traditional rules, such as the requirements to lease network access to competitors. In 2002 the FCC designated broadband Internet service offered by cable companies as an information service, and last month the Supreme Court accepted the FCC ruling. Martin feels this decision has created the precedent to issue a similar ruling for DSL.

Telephone companies complained that imposing old telephone rules on new broadband services, while exempting cable providers from the very same rules, tilted the playing field against them. Martin agrees: "The lack of regulatory parity between telecoms and cable is inhibiting broadband growth," he said.

For more on FCC Martin's move
-see this report

PLUS: Martin is contemplating reorganizing the FCC. Report.